


Bright Ruler

by Artaihpan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Paths (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:48:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29046396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artaihpan/pseuds/Artaihpan
Summary: “Wha…is it done? Is this nightmare over?”“It is. Ymir is at peace now, and her power has left this world."
Relationships: Reiner Braun & Bertolt Hoover, Reiner Braun/Bertolt Hoover
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Bright Ruler

**Author's Note:**

> Self indulgent Bertholdt king of paths snippet with some Madoka vibes.
> 
> Posting my take for what I want to happen before the next chapter dashes my hopes and dreams. And yes, the title comes from Bertholdt's name.
> 
> This hasn't been beta read, so I hope the voices sound right.

“…Reiner. It’s over. Wake up, please.” a soft voice fills his ears. One he hasn’t heard in so long…

“…Reiner…” the voice sounds again. Begrudgingly, his eyes slowly cracks open.

“Ber…tholdt?” he mumbles, staring up into a deep green eye, his head resting on his best friend’s lap.

“Yes. It’s me, Reiner. I’m so glad to see you again.”

“Wha…is it done? Is this nightmare over?”

“It is. Ymir is at peace now, and her power has left this world. With her departure, this dimension, the Paths dimension will soon lose its connection to the physical world. Soon, there will be no more titans when you wake up. No curse of Ymir, or a shortened lifespan. You’ll be able to grow old and live with your family, Reiner. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

“I…yes?”

Lifting his head, he takes a good look at the man above. He hasn’t changed since the last he saw him…four years ago. Bertholdt is wearing that blue sweater from a happier time, back before their cover was blown and they still had friends within the 104 Cadet Corps. Except…he’s not entirely there. One eye is missing. His left eye.

Noticing him staring, Bertholdt shifts his head so that only his remaining eye is visible to the blond man. Reiner felt a tinge of guilt for making his friend feel so uncomfortable. Hoping to lighten the mood, he coughs, clearing his throat.

“Bertholdt, I missed you so much…There’s so much I want to tell you.”

“I know, Reiner.”

“I’m so glad that we can be together again.” he continues on excitedly, not noticing the expression on his best friend’s face.

“We can finally go home…”

From the corner of his eyes, he sees Bertholdt’s face drop, his shoulders sagging.

“What is it?”

“I can’t go back with you. With the connection as thin as it is, you need to make sure that Paths is completely closed off in the physical world. You remember the tree? ”

“Yes?”

“You need to go back and uproot it. Once you do that, I’ll be on this side making sure that there is no more entry points to this place. I think I’ll be able to do it. However…” his voice trails off as his eye stares into the distance.

“Bertholdt?” He asks, worry filling his heart. There’s an unreadable expression on the brunet boy, one that he always wears when he’s thinking about something unpleasant and unavoidable.

“However…once you do that, I’m sure we’ll never see each other again. I don’t know what exactly will happen to titan shifters in the real world once Paths is gone for good. You’ll definitely lose your powers, but you might lose your memory of everything that has happened since you’ve inherited. It’s hard to tell. This place stores a copy of every titan shifter that’s ever existed, so once the final connection is gone, we all might be able to go free.”

He pauses and gives a sideways glance at Reiner.

“Except for me. I’ve been here too long. For some reason, my connection here runs deeper than most. I think…this was always meant to be. I’ll be the only one left here while everyone else can leave. It must be done so that the curse can be truly gone from this world.”

Reiner’s mind goes blank with a sheer feeling of horror. Not this. Not with everything that happened to them. It can’t end like this. He won’t let this be how it ends. He grabs Bertholdt by the shoulders, levelling his face against the other so that they are looking at each other, eye to eye.

“No!” he chokes out, “This is just too cruel! You can’t possibly be happy with this! I don’t want to be apart from you ever again! Please!” his voice softens as he slumps down.

“Don’t leave me…”

“Oh Reiner,” Bertholdt murmurs, hands cupping his face.

“Even if you forget, I’ll always remember, for the both of us.”

A tear runs down his face. Before he could say anything else, the edges of his vision starts blurring and becoming indistinguishable from nothingness.

“What is this…?” he asked even though he already knew with dread what is happening. Bertholdt gives him a reassuring hug.

“Farewell, Reiner. Know that even if we will never meet again, I’ll always be watching over you. Please…live for the future, Reiner.”

The taller boy gives him a sad smile as he lets go. Getting up, he turns to walk away. Reiner scrambles to his feet, reaching out towards his best friend with an outstretched hand.

“Bertholdt! Bertholdt, wait!” He screams as the realm around him starts to fade away, his last moment of awareness focused entirely on Bertholdt…

————

“-ner! Reiner! Wake up!”

He groans, slowly forcing his eyes open as the harsh light invades his senses. Gabi is looking down at him with concern in her eyes.

“Reiner! Are you okay?”

“Yeah…I’m fine. What happened?”

“We don’t really know.” that’s Pieck’s voice. He turns to squint at her.

“One moment we’re fighting Eren, and the next…we all seemed to have collectively lost time and now the Founder has fallen. Did…” she pauses here as she looks over the horizon.

“Did you see anything on the other side, Reiner?” she asks him softly.

“…yes.”

“Do you know what we should do next?”

Reiner sits up to examine their surroundings. Off in the distance, he can see a massive tree similar to the vision he saw in Paths. He points towards it.

“There. We go to that tree and destroy it. Somehow it’s the last bridge to the other world. With this, the cycle can finally end for good.”

“Then it’s settled. Falco? Can you bring us there?”

The avian Jaw titan huffs in response as the child changes course. The rest of the alliance look exhausted, but determined. The soon to be former Armored Titan stares a their destination. He looks to his cousin, a strange expression of resolution on her face. She’s grown so far from a child who blindly believed in the propaganda fed by the Marleyan military. He’s not sure what the future will hold, but he’ll live for them.

_“I’ll keep your last wish alive, Bertl.”_ Reiner thinks to himself grimly.

_“I didn’t really want to…but for you and the kids? I’ll try to live for the future now.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been reading a lot of character meta where Bert was noted as the one who always remembered those who were forgotten.
> 
> So in life he was given the title of God of Destruction, one that he didn't even want, but he was forced to have in order to protect those he cared about. And now in this fic, he’s the God of the Forgotten, always remembering those who were left behind. The only difference now is that this is something he genuinely wants and wasn’t ordered to do. Maybe he'll finally get the closure he deserves in canon.
> 
> Also Reiner Helos.


End file.
